Faculty Collaboration Database

Attributional negativity bias and acute stress disorder symptoms mediate the association between trauma history and future posttraumatic stress disorder. J Trauma Stress 2023 Aug;36(4):785-795

Date

06/20/2023

Pubmed ID

37339014

Pubmed Central ID

PMC10528836

DOI

10.1002/jts.22942

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85162188572 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

Individuals who have experienced more trauma throughout their life have a heightened risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following injury. Although trauma history cannot be retroactively modified, identifying the mechanism(s) by which preinjury life events influence future PTSD symptoms may help clinicians mitigate the detrimental effects of past adversity. The current study proposed attributional negativity bias, the tendency to perceive stimuli/events as negative, as a potential intermediary in PTSD development. We hypothesized an association between trauma history and PTSD symptom severity following a new index trauma via heightened negativity bias and acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms. Recent trauma survivors (N =189, 55.5% women, 58.7% African American/Black) completed assessments of ASD, negativity bias, and lifetime trauma 2-weeks postinjury; PTSD symptoms were assessed 6 months later. A parallel mediation model was tested with bootstrapping (10,000 resamples). Both negativity bias, Path b₁ : β = -.24, t(187) = -2.88, p = .004, and ASD symptoms, Path b₂ : β = .30, t(187) = 3.71, p < .001, fully mediated the association between trauma history and 6-month PTSD symptoms, full model: F(6, 182) = 10.95, p < .001, R ² = .27; Path c': β = .04, t(187) = 0.54, p = .587. These results suggest that negativity bias may reflect an individual cognitive difference that can be further activated by acute trauma. Moreover, negativity bias may be an important, modifiable treatment target, and interventions addressing both acute symptoms and negativity bias in the early posttrauma period may weaken the link between trauma history and new-onset PTSD.

Author List

Webb EK, Timmer-Murillo SC, Huggins AA, Tomas CW, deRoon-Cassini TA, Larson CL

Authors

Sydney Timmer-Murillo PhD Assistant Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Carissa W. Tomas PhD Assistant Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Terri A. deRoon Cassini PhD Center Director, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Female
Humans
Male
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute